Lentorama 2009: Great(?) Moments in Catholics on Television

January 20, 1999: Josiah Bartlet is sworn in as President of the United States

Bartlet was born to a Protestant father and Catholic mother, and raised in the latter's faith (apparently to the dismay of his father). He bypassed Harvard to attend Notre Dame, as he was interested in the priesthood. While at Notre Dame he met Abigail Barrington, which put an end to his clerical plans. They would marry and have three daughters, while he would go on to become an economist of note (sharing a Nobel Prize), professor, and eventually entered politics (a not surprising choice as he is related to the New Hampshire signatory of the Declaration of Independence of the same name).

Bartlet's faith was best seen more in personal moments than in policy, though you could argue that his interest in promoting and protecting human rights was influenced by it. While not strictly Catholic, perhaps the best moment showcasing religion was his clarification of the First Commandment (about halfway through the clip).

While there's a common sentiment that The West Wing and Bartlet were popular because they gave us the President we wanted rather than the one we had, you can also make an argument that they gave Catholics the follow-up to JFK that we wanted rather than the ones - John Kerry and, egads, Pat Buchannan - we could have had.